Sunday, January 31, 2010

Give or take a pinch of baking powder, most blueberry muffin recipes are pretty much the same. One thing that varies is the dairy used – some recipes call for buttermilk, while others use yogurt, or sour cream as this one does.

When it comes to the amount of blueberries, it seems that 1 1/2 cups is the standard measure. Since I get my blueberries in pint baskets, which is 2 cups, I decided to push the envelope and toss in the whole thing.

Is that too many? You can be the judge, but I really like that these are chock full of juicy fruit, and while it does make them less sweet, I think it's a good tradeoff. This recipe is going to be published, so let me know what you think if you decide to give them a go.

I usually do my voiceovers in the morning, when I'm fresh and peppy, and my voice is dripping with enthusiastic verve. This voiceover was done late in the evening, as I was getting ready to take off to Las Vegas (where this is being posted from).

If you are new to the blog you probably wouldn't have noticed anything, but the regular viewers will hear the same thing I do…I sound really tired. Anyway, maybe I'm being a bit self-conscience, but I thought it was really noticeable, and a good reminder to make sure I do these soundtracks before a long day of production. Notwithstanding the sleepy narration, I like these blueberry muffins a lot, and hope you give them a try. Enjoy!

Well I Am new to the blog I probably wouldn't have noticed anything, but the regular viewers will hear the same thing You do…You sound really tired. Anyway, maybe You're being a bit self-conscience, but You thought it was really noticeable, and a good reminder to make sure You do these soundtracks before a long day of production. Notwithstanding the sleepy narration, I also like these blueberry muffins a lot and I'll try to make myself.

I've had such a craving for blueberry muffins lately. (Yes, THOSE kinds of cravings!) My cravings won't go away until they're satisfied, so I'll definitely give these a try this week! I'll let you know how they turn out.

What if I wanted to make like a half dozen "monster muffins"...?...you know, like a calorie count that no one ever needs, but sometimes you just want... Should I do anything with the temp?...decrease and bake longer?

i have a question - you mentioned toward the end of the video to not over-mix so as not to create an overly tough dough - now this mite be a vague question - but is it fair to say that's the one thing in muffins (in general) that makes them tough? or is there something else to be careful of??...because tough muffins aren't my thing

So for 6 "monster muffins", the baking time should be almost the same. I ended up adding 10-12 mins to your time and they came out slightly dry....I imagine that they would have been good with only adding 5-6 mins. They had good flavor, I'll just remember the time next time....

Just made them! So so so good. I didn't have quite a whole pint of blueberries, so I went with the usual cup and a half... to be honest, I'd like more blueberries! So the two cups sound good. I accidentally added the sugar to the dry ingredients (I went to add sugar to my butter then was like- Aw, crap...) but they still turned out delicious. Thanks Chef John!

Yum! These came out great! I've made many blueberry muffins, but this was the first time using a recipe that called for sour cream. The only thing I might try different next time is adding a touch of cinnamon.

For those of you who need temps in degrees C, just google for a converter. Or better yet type "375 f to c" into googles search box and it will tell you "375 degrees Fahrenheit = 190.555556 degrees Celsius." Since ovens can be off by as much as 50ºF, don't be too conserned with the exact temp. If you're off by a few degrees it will just effect the cooking time. Look for golden muffin tops and a clean toothpick when inserted into the center of a muffin.

I cook for terminally ill patients on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings. I made a double batch of these for 20 people and almost everyone came back for seconds. Thanks, they all really enjoyed the recipe.

I'm a fan of you who live in Hong Kong. Thanks so much for your sharing.I have a problem with the bluebierry muffins as I only have a baker only up to 250C. Can I still bake it with longer time maby be?

I've heard of sour cream in blueberry muffins but lemon zest? I'm downright giddy! (I've always said that if I have lemons, tomatoes and garlic - I have groceries.) The lemon zest made your Lemon Poppyseed Muffins outshine the rest so I'm excited to try it in your Blueberry Muffins in the morning!

Question 1: Is there a general rule of thumb for baking time when it comes to making mini-muffins as opposed to regular sized muffins? Like, "shave three minutes from the baking time" ?

Question 2: What's the best way to store muffins for a day or two without the tops getting sticky? I let them cool completely and then put them in a large baggie. This is apparently not good because the muffin tops get very sticky.

Hi, Chef John, I just made these and these are FANTASTIC. They look like they were professionally made, and it's just SO delicious. Thank you so much for the recipe, and I will definitely use it again.

I made these, and they were fabulous! I've tried a lot of blueberry muffin recipes and this one was the best by far; usually when I baked muffins, I wouldn't like eating them (but everyone else would) but with these, I couldn't get enough! One question though, I'm 15 and just started cooking/baking. What tips would you give to a beginner?

I tried it for the second time today but i don't think it came out like it's supposed to be=)

I used buttermilk instead of sour cream but the muffin didn't rise like yours does. Then i add up more flour. Unfortunately the muffin lost its' moist. FYI I'm using an old oven (which i always blame on) and I don't have those measurement cups like ppl always use in baking.

Can you tell me if any of these are the problems to my failure? I'm also a beginner in baking;D

A huge THANK YOU for this recipe!I just got these out of the oven 15 minutes ago, and they've turned out amazing! I live in Greece where nobody's heard of blueberry muffins and blueberries only live in the freezer section of elite stores - if you're lucky. So, I've had huge cravings for blueberry muffins since my last visit to the UK a year ago. I had to use the frozen variety, which were smaller and dripping in their juices once de-frozen, but still they taste plain fantastic, and I'll be able to make them myself as often as I please. Thank you thank you thank you!!!

Dear Chef John, I made these muffins today. OMG!!! They are delicious!!! I made some changes: thick yogurt instead of sour cream, vanilla insted of lemon zest and extract, and added a cup of bran and a little extra milk.They came out wonderful! Perfectly moinst, lots of berries in each, really delicious! Thanks for the recipe. I loooove your videos and your sense of humor! Greetings!Mónica (from Mexico)

Your muffins look amazing...definitely going to have to try this recipe out. Just wanted to let you know that one of the recipes that I have for blueberry muffins has you smash 1/2 cup of the blueberries. That way you almost get a swirl effect in the muffin. Thought you might find that interesting!

This was my first recipe from your blog that I tried, and it turned out wonderfully. I made part of the batch with chocolate chips and part with blueberries, and only needed to bake for 25 minutes; otherwise followed to a tee. Very good. Thanks!

Oh My!!! Just made my first batch a 30 minutes ago and taste one. It was....WOW. I am cooking these for some lactose intolerant friends, so I used Lactaid milk and Tofutti (better than) Sour Cream (which is lactose, dairy, gluten free). They are perfect. Not too sweet but the sweetness is like an affect-taste the more bites you take. Alright...it's good!

Live in England, have tried conversion tables etc etc, but have had so many variatons. i.e. 1 cup of flour could be 125g or 150g! Pretty confused now Would Cheft John be kind enough to provide me with the Metric conversation measurements, love your website, many thanks

Live in England, UK. Rather confused regarding conversation rates on the www. Is 1 cup of cup of flour equiv to 125g or 150g? Would Chef John be kind enough to provide me with the metric conversations of this muffin recipe please. Many thanks.

Made these tonight. I can't eat wheat, but husband said they were good. He didn't care for the lemon. Made another batch with a lot of vanilla, cinnamon, and chopped fresh apple. He appears to be enjoying them immensely. Last, have a batch in the oven of vanilla with chocolate chips for the son. Seems like a very nice recipe!

The the Anonymous person from England asking for metric conversions, there's a reason there are two different weights for a cup of flour. There are two ways to measure it.

One is the "dip and sweep" method, where you "dip" your measuring cup into your flour bin, then "sweep" off the excess. This slightly compresses the flour giving you a higher weight (150g). This method is most commonly used when making yeast breads.

In just about every other baking scenario, such as with these muffins, you want to spoon the flour into the measuring cup before leveling it off. This makes it a little fluffier than the "dip and sweep" method, resulting in a lower weight (125g).

Thanks for this easy to follow recipe. I did make a couple of changes--- dictated by what was available in my kitchen--- low fat Greek yogurt instead of sour cream and demerara sugar in lieu of white. I also cut back the amount of sugar by a quarter cup. This was my first time to make these muffins but they turned out wonderful. Deeply appreciate your sharing of this recipe.

It was my first time baking muffins and these came out really well! They weren't overly sweet like the store-bought processed stuff. They were crispy on the outside and very moist inside. I LOVE YOU, CHEF JOHN. Adopt me!

Hi John, I first made this without full list of ingredients. No plain flour, used self raising flour minus half of baking powder and baking soda. Not enough self raising flour, added half a cup of bread flour. Not enough blue berry, added frozen mixed berries. Not enough big muffin tray, used min tray as well. It turned out great. The mini ones tasted a bit crunchy on the side. Excellent out come. My family wants me to make another batch soon. Many thanks.Alice

I baked these now at 3am and they are pretty great except not sweet enough for me. Maybe I'm too used to processed Costco muffins. The texture is pretty good though. I will try again with maybe 50% more sugar. :)

My husband and I made these about 5 months ago and I am so happy I just found my bookmark for them because I have been craving them ever since! I am gluten intolerant so we used our gluten-free baking mix and they were the most delicious muffin I have ever had! We tell everyone about them. I am looking forward to trying some other recipes!

I tried to do it today and I had some issues. It all worked fine untill I added the crème fraîche (instead of sour cream) and milk. Before that it was soft and creamy but after adding those it thinken and it was impossible to return to a creamy mix. I followed all the steps so I'm a little shocked, don't know what to do :(

Hello, Chef John!I made these today and they are perfect! Instead of sour cream, I used homemade créme frâiche. They are light and fluffy, but still have a rich flavor. And the zest and extract brightens up the flavor without turning them into lemon-blueberry muffins. Thanks!